Seventy bears were reported in Tokyo’s metropolitan area between April and July 2025, according to Japan’s Ministry of Environment. (Madeline Herzog/U.S. Air Force)
TOKYO — A map of bear sightings in Japan shows people are increasingly encountering the animals just west of a U.S. airlift hub in western Tokyo.
The map, which has been updating on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s website since February 2024, documents dozens of bear encounters, including locations, dates and times.
In the past month, there have been eight reported encounters near Hinode town and Ome city, roughly five miles from Yokota Air Base.
A bear attacked a man fishing in Okutama, a town 18 miles west of the base, on Aug. 23, according to national broadcaster NHK. The animal clawed the man’s face, the report said.
The online map shows a bear encounter in Okutama that day.
Japan is home to two bear species: the Japanese black bear and the larger Ussuri brown bear.
Black bears typically reach about 5 feet in height and weigh just over 200 pounds, though adult males can weigh twice as much. Brown bears, which live only on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, can weigh up to 880 pounds.
The country’s bear population was about 11,700 in 2020, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Bear numbers have more than doubled over the past 30 years.
“It appears there are more bear encounters this year than last,” an official from Ome city’s agricultural policy section said by phone on Sept. 2. Some Japanese government officials can speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.
Ome reported 35 bear encounters in the fiscal year ending March 31. Since then, another 28 reports have been filed. On Aug. 28, a bear cub was spotted attempting to climb a lamppost near the Jindai bridge in Hinatawada, the official said.
Between April and July, 70 bears were reported in Tokyo’s metro area, according to the Ministry of Environment. In fiscal 2024, 181 bears were spotted. Most encounters happened in western Tokyo, including Okutama, Hinohara village, Akiruno city, Ome city, Hachioji city and Hinode town.
It is unclear why sightings are increasing, but encounters tend to spike during summer and fall, the Ome city official said. Bears often approach towns in search of food, he added.
People who encounter a bear should remain still, according to the official.
“They respond to moving objects,” he said. “Some say that you should slowly walk backwards, but the best thing to do is not move. If the object doesn’t move, the bear will not show interest and will go away.”
AloJapan.com